-2018 NFL Schedule -Strength of Schedule
MOCK DRAFT
Ask the Commish.Com 2018 Draft Kit
Cincinnati's defense will have a new look and feel in 2018 with Teryl Austin as its new defensive coordinator. He'll come into a gig with some pretty valuable defenders at his disposal, including a bodacious D-line headlined by Geno Atkins, Carl Lawson and Carlos Dunlap. It's a unit that had 41 sacks, 11 interceptions (three for touchdowns) and held opponents to just 18.1 points per game, an improvement from the previous year. Still, the DST failed to finish as a top-10 option and probably won't get drafted in too many leagues given the depth at the position across the league. Their schedule might go a long way into determining their popularity as well. For now, count the Bengals DST out of Draft Day plans.
Green Bay's offense has been terrific during the Aaron Rodgers era, but that's rarely been the case for its defense. The Packers' D/ST ranked 25th in 2017 and has managed one top-10 campaign over the past seven seasons (2014). Green Bay ranked 26th in points allowed and no better than No. 17 in interceptions, forced fumbles and sacks last season. Muhammad Wilkerson and Tramon Williams were quality veteran offseason additions, and corners Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson were selected in the first two rounds of April's draft. Green Bay sports one of the league's best defensive lines and has a few additional playmakers in the form of Clay Matthews, Nick Perry, Blake Martinez and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. There's some upside in the sack department here, but this unit is a shaky bet for top-16 production.
It was poor coaching, injuries, and a lack effort that led to New York’s dismal defense. The Giants have since assembled a new coaching staff with James Bettcher leading the way. There has also been some significant personnel turnover. General manager Dave Gettleman has spent the offseason building Big Blue’s defense around Bettcher’s scheme, which relies on versatility. The G-Men traded Jason Pierre-Paul and released Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. They acquired Alec Ogletree, Kareem Martin, Lorenzo Carter, B.J. Hill, and William Gay along with others.
Pittsburgh has a reputation for good, tough defense, and that has translated to D/ST fantasy production. The Steelers' D/ST has ranked no worse than No. 17 over the past decade (10.3 average) and managed an eighth-place 2017 campaign. Pittsburgh paced the NFL with 56 sacks and ranked in the top 10 in interceptions, tackles for loss, yards allowed and points allowed. Stephon Tuitt and Cameron Heyward are terrific up front, the cornerback position is solid, T.J. Watt is an intriguing second-year pass-rusher and Terrell Edmunds, Jon Bostic and Morgan Burnett were solid offseason additions. That said, the loss of Ryan Shazier looms large and makes this no more than a fringe top-12 D/ST in 2018.